Wrapping machines



s. T. HALL WRAPPING MACHINES Dec. 2 1967 v 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed ma 7, 1965 I NVENTOR BY m%%%% ATTORNEYS Dec. 26, 1967 v I c. T; HALL 7 3,360,413

. WRAPPING MACHINES Filed May 7, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet z lN-VENTOR BY m aawwwzaw ATTORNEYS I United States Patent 3,360,413 WRAPPING MACHINES Charles Thomas Hall, London, England, assignor to The Molins Organisation Limited, London, England, a corporation of Great Britain Filed May 7, 1965, Ser. No. 454,028 Claims priority, application Great Britain, May 8, 1964, 19,306/64 Claims. (Cl. 156-250) This invention concerns improvements relating to ma- 1 chines in which a first sheet is applied to a second sheet in overlapping relationship and in particular to apparatus for providing a lifting strip to the inside of a wrapper for folding around a block-shaped article (eg a batch of cigarettes), the lifting strip being suitable for opening the top fold of the wrapper after the block shaped article has been wrapped and for lifting part of the contents thereof.

It is well known that a lifting strip can be provided in a packet of cigarettes in which the cigarettes are completely encased in a flexible wrapper, frequently metallic foil, with the wrapper enclosed in an open-ended cup of other flexible material, such as paper. The object of the lifting strip may be two fold-firstly, to effect an easy method of opening the folded top of the wrapper and, secondly, to lift up for easy extraction some of the cigarettes enclosed in the wrapper. Improved apparatus for attaching the lifting strip to the inside of the wrapper is disclosed herein.

According to the present invention there is provided a method of producing a, composite sheet in which two separate sheets cut from first and second moving webs are joined in overlapping relationship, comprising the steps of: applying adhesive patches at equal intervals along the first web while it is moving, causing the second web to adhere to the first at each patch, cutting the first Web into first web sheets each of length equal to the said interval and each having an end attached to the second web, accelerating the free end of each first web sheet in the direction in which it is moving so as to cause gaps therebetween, severing the second web in the region of each gap between first web sheets so as to produce second Web sheets of length equal to the first web sheets and decelerating the free end of each first web sheet so that it lies along the second web sheet in overlapping relationship to form the said composite sheet.

There is further provided apparatus for producing a composite sheet in which a first sheet cut from a first web is joined in overlapping relationship to a second sheet cut from a second web, comprising: adhesive applying means to apply adhesive patches at equally spaced intervals to the first web, means to feed forwardly the two webs in contact so that they adhere together at each patch, cutting means to cut the first web into the said first sheets each having a length equal to the said interval, severing means to sever the second web into the said second sheets and a member to accelerate forwardly the trailing end of each of. the said first sheets. relatively to the second web was to form gaps between successive first sheets, the severing means severing the second web through the said gap. The member may be adapted to hold the trailing end of each first sheet suctionally and is constrained to move forwardly in a path substantially parallel to the movement of the second web.

Still further there is provided in a machine for folding a wrapper around a block-shaped article (eg a batch of cigarettes) apparatus for applying a lifting strip to the wrapper, comprising: means for feeding forwardly a wrapper web, severing means for severing the web into wrapper lengths each of which is suitable for wrapping around the block-shaped article, means for feeding a liftthrough the feed rolls 15 on an arm 27 is held in ing strip web into contact with the wrapper web, adhesive applying means for causing a portion of the lifting strip web to adhere to each uncut wrapper length, cutting means to cut the lifting strip web into lifting strip lengths each of which is equal to a wrapper length, and means to advance the free end of each cut lifting strip length so that the severing means can cut the wrapper web into wrapper lengths without severing the already adhering lifting strip lengths. The severing means may rotate in timed relationship with the cutting means so that the lifting strip overlaps the wrapper length.

Apparatus for attaching a lifting strip to a wrapper will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a packet of cigarettes with an incorporated lifting strip.

FIGURE 2 is a view of the end of a wrapper web with an attached lifting strip web,

FIGURE 3 is the same view as FIGURE 2 after the lifting strip web has been cut.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation of ing a lifting strip to a wrapper length.

In FIGURE 1 there is shown a cigarette package in which the cigarettes are totally enclosed in a metal foil Wrapper 1. The bundle so formed is secured by a stamp or closure strip 3. A lifting strip 4 projects beyond the edge of a top closure flap 5. Both the top closure flap 5 and lower closure flap 6 have slits 7 beneath the right hand edge of the stamp 3 as seen when looking at FIG- URE 1. When the free end of the lifting strip 4 is pulled, the portions of the flaps 5 and 6 thereunder can readily open up and permit some of the cigarettes to be lifted. The lifting strip 4 must be kept well clear of the folds of the closure flaps 5 and 6 and this in its turn requires that the stamp is positioned off centre.

In FIGURE 2 there is shown the free end of a wrapper web 8 to which a lifting strip web 9 is attached in the two areas indicated by the reference numeral 10. Four slits 11 are cut on both sides of the wrapper web 8 to enable a neat fold to be made on both sides of the bottom of the package. The lifting strip web 9 is cut along the chain line, reference numeral 12.

In FIGURE 3 the lifting strip web 9 has been cut to form the lifting strip 4, the free end of which has been moved in advance of the wrapper web 8. This leaves a free area around the line on which the wrapper web will be cut, reference numeral 13.

In FIGURE 4 the wrapper web 8 is fed from a reel, which is not shown, over a lead roller 14 to a pair of feed rolls 15 and 16. The lifting strip web 9 is fed from its reel, which again is not shown, over lead rolls 17 and 18 and marries with the wrapper web 8 whilst the two webs pass between feed rolls 15 and 16. A gum roller 20 picks up adhesive from a bath 19 onto its periphery and transfers the adhesive to two segments 21 and 22 on a dauber roll 23. The roller 20 and the roll 23 are driven and the segments 21 and 22 come into contact with the lifting strip web 9 to which they transfer two adhesive patches corresponding to the areas indicated by the reference numeral 10 in FIGURE 2. The speed of the roll 23 is regulated so that the two patches are applied to every lifting striplength, i.e. the roll 23 rotates once for each wrapper length cut from the Web 8 and lifting strip length cut from the web 9. As the webs 8 and 9 pass and 16 adhesion is completed by the pressure exerted thereby.

Before the web 8 marries with the lifting stn'p web 9, the slit 7 is made. A cam 24 is driven by a shaft 25 to which is also keyed the roll 15. A cam roller 26 carried contact with the face of the cam by a spring 28. Bracketed to the arm 27 is a further arm 29, its far end being provided with a wafer knife 30.

apparatus for apply- 3 The arms 27 and 29 pivot about a pin 31 so that when the cam roller 26 follows the dwell of the cam 24 the knife moves to the right (as seen when looking at FIG- URE 4) forming the slit 7 against the resistance offered by the tension in the web 8 and by a set of brushes 32.

From the feed rolls 15 and 16 the combined wrapper web 8 and lifting strip web 9 pass between a knife carrier 33 provided with three knives 34, 35 and 36, and a rotatable anvil 37 which together with its shaft 38 is adjustable within a frame 39. The shaft 38 is journalled in a block 40 which is spring loaded in a recess 41 of the frame 39 against a screw 42 having a fine adjustment thread and secured to the frame 39 by a retaining plate 43. The knives 34 and 35 are rigidly fixed to the knife carrier 33 and are positioned for making the slits 11 in the wrapper web 8. Since the anvil 37 is adjustable the knives 34 and 35 can be set up to the anvil to give the correct amount of interference to cause a clean cut. The knife 36 is adjustable along a chordal surface 44 of the carrier 33 to which it is secured by means of a screw 45 located in a slot 46. Thus movement of the knife 36 along the surface 44 varies the distance of its edge from the centre of the carrier shaft 47, and thus from the anvil 37. After the knives 34 and 35 are set up against the anvil 37, the knife 36, which severs the lifting strip web 9, can be set up so as to cut only the web 9 and not the wrapper web 8 which is on the far side of the web 9 to the knife 36. Adjustment of the knife 36 causes the position at which the web 9 is cut to vary along its length and therefore relative to the position at which the Wrapper web 8 is to be cut. This variation, however, is not considered to be of any importance since it is very small in relation to all other germane dimensions.

After the lifting strip web 9 has been cut the combined Wrapper web 8 and the lifting strip length 4 pass between two further draw rolls 48 and 49 whose purpose is to hold the web taut whilst it is cut by the knives 34 and 35. This is done by running the rolls 48 and 49 so that their peripheral speed is slightly in excess of the peripheral speed of the draw rolls 15 and 16. The web 8 is allowed to slip between the latter draw rolls 48 and 49.

A movable suction nozzle 50 comes into contact with the trailing end (considered in the forward direction of movement of the web 8) of the lifting strip length 4 and accelerates in the same direction as it is traveling so as to leave a gap between it and the following lifting strip. The apparatus is timed so that the free area of the web 8 is cut into the wrapper length 1 between a fixed knife 51 and a rotatable knife 52 fixed to a drum 53. The nozzle 50 is secured in a holder 54 which is fixed to one end of a bell crank lever 55. Two cams 56 and 57 on a common shaft 58 operate cam rollers 59 and 60 respectively. The roller 59 is fixed to the other end of the bell crank lever while the roller is carried on an arm 62 which pivots at one end about a pin 61. The other end of the bracket 62 is provided with a pin 64 about which the bell crank lever 55 rocks. The nozzle 50 communicates via a flexible hose 65 with an opening 66 on a fixed disc 67. A further opening 68 in the disc 67 communicates via a pipe 69 with a suction source not shown. In contact with the disc 67 is a movable disc 70 provided with a large port 71, the disc 70 being fixed to the shaft 58. Thus when the port 71 is in contact with both openings, 66 and 68, suction is directly connected to the nozzle 50. At the same time the cams 56 and 57 operate the rollers 59 and 60 and cause the nozzle 50 to start its downward stroke which is. parallel with the path of the web 8 thus moving the lifting strip length 4 out of the way of the free area of the wrapper web 8 which can then be severed by the knives 51 and 52.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A method of producing a composite sheet in which two separate sheets cut from first and second moving webs are joined in overlapping relationship, comprising the steps of: applying adhesive patches at equal intervals along the first web while it is moving, causing the second web to adhere to the first at each patch, cutting the first web into first web sheets each of length equal to the said interval and each having an end attached to the second web, accelerating the free end of each first web sheet in the direction in which it is moving so as to cause gaps therebetween, severing the second web in the region of each gap between first web sheets so as to produce second web sheets of length equal to the first web sheets and decelerating the free end of each first web sheet sothat it lies along the second web sheet in overlapping relationship to form the said composite sheet.

2. Apparatus for producing a composite sheet in which a first sheet cut from the first web is joined in overlapping relationship to a second sheet cut from a second web, comprising: adhesive applying means to apply adhesive patches at equally spaced intervals to the first web, means to feed forwardly the two webs in contact so that they adhere together at each patch, cutting means to cut the first web into the said first sheets each having a length equal to the said interval, severing means to sever the second web into the said second sheets and a member to accelerate forwardly the trailing end of each of the said first sheets relatively to the second web so as to form gaps between successive first sheets, the severing means severing the second web through the said gap.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the member is adapted to hold the trailing end of each first sheet suctionally and is constrained to move forwardly in a path substantially parallel to the movement of the second web.

4. Apparatus for producing wrappers for use in Wrapping around block-shaped articles and having lifting strips applied thereto, in which said lifting strips cut from a first web are joined in overlapping relationship to wrappers cut from a second web, comprising adhesive-applying means to apply adhesive patches at equally spaced intervals to one of said webs, means to feed forwardly the two webs in contact so that they adhere together at each patch, cutting means to cut the first web into said lifting strips each having a length equal to said interval, severing means to sever the second web into said wrappers and a member to accelerate forwardly the trailing end of each of said lifting strips relatively to the second web so as to form gaps between successive lifting strips, the severing means severing the second web through said gap.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the severing means rotates in timed relationship with the cutting means so that the lifting strip overlaps the Wrapper length.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,268,474 12/1941 Chalmers 156522 2,969,105 1/1961 Jones 156522 DOUGLAS I. DRUMMOND, Primary Examiner, 

1. A METHOD OF PRODUCING A COMPOSITE SHEET IN WHICH TWO SEPARATE SHEETS CUT FROM FIRST AND SECOND MOVING WEBS ARE JOINED IN OVERLAPPING RELATIONSHIP, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: APPLYING ADHESIVE PATCHES AT EQUAL INTERVALS ALONG THE FIRST WEB WHILE IT IS MOVING, CAUSING THE SECOND WEB TO ADHERE TO THE FIRST AT EACH PATCH, CUTTING THE FIRST WEB INTO FIRST WEB SHEETS EACH OF LENGTH EQUAL TO THE SAID INTERVAL AND EACH HAVING AN END ATTACHED TO THE SECOND WEB, ACCELERATING THE FREE END OF EACH FIRST WEB SHEET IN 